
















































COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 





















ZZDo ROTH K 

















































REALLY TRULY FAIRY TALES 


Books by 

ALPHA BANTA BENSON 


Four-and-Forty Fairies. 

Really Truly Fairy Tales. 

The Brownie Primer. 

Ten Little Brownie Men. 

The Brownies and the Gob¬ 
lins. 

Three Popular Stories. 

Stories from Grimm. 
DafFydowndilly and the 
Golden Touch. 

The Golden Bird and Seven • 
Ravens. 


Published by 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
CHICAGO 





Really Truly Fai 
Tales 


BY 

ALPHA BANTA BENSON 


/ 

ILLUSTRATED BY 

JAMES HARVEY DULIN / 


1923 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
CHICAGO 


Copyright 1923 by A. Flanagan Company 



©ClA6'J'i7>8 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



CONTENTS 


Page 

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN. 7 

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE. 17 

THE THREE WISHES. 32 

THE GOLDEN TOUCH. 46 

RHCECUS . 61 

LITTLE DAFFYDOWNDILLY. 65 

THE TOY OF THE GIANT’S CHILD. SO 

RUMPELSTILTSKIN . 84 

THE SEVEN RAVENS. 97 

THE GOLDEN BIRD. 106 













ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 

“Down to the river he went, drawing the rats after him”. 11 

“The piper went in and all the children followed him”. 15 

“A fine large fish, such as he had not seen before”. 19 

“Where the pretty little cottage had stood he saw a beautiful 
castle”. 29 

“Down fell the poor horse and broke his neck”. 43 

“In this room King Midas kept his gold”. 51 

“I am running away from school because I do not like the master,” 
he said . 67 

“The giant’s daughter had never seen anything like it”. 81 

“At last she began to cry”. 87 

“Around the fire a strange little man was singing and dancing”... 95 

“Looking up, he saw seven ravens flying over the house”.101 

“A little dwarf met her and asked her what she wanted”.104 

“He and the princess rode aw’ay on the golden horse”.122 















THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN. 


Many, many years ago, in a country 
far away, there was a beautiful little 
village. A large river ran by on the 
southern side. There were shady 
streets, and pretty houses with rosy 
cheeked children playing before the 
doors. If it had not been for one 
thing, what a happy spot it would have 
been. But, at the time this story 
begins, there were so many rats in the 
village, that the people began to think 
they should have to move out and let 
the rats have the village. 

You will open your eyes when you 
hear of some of the things these rats 
did. 



“They fought the dogs and killed the 
cats, 

And bit the babies in their cradles. 
And ate the cheeses out of the vats, 

And licked the soup from the cook’s 
iron ladles.” 

Yes, and very often a man would 
find a rat’s nest inside his Sunday hat. 

At last the mayor and council met 
to see if they could find some way to 
get rid of them. They talked an hour 
but could think of nothing. They had 
almost given it up, when they heard a 
rap at the door. 

“Come in!” cried the mayor. 

The door opened, and in came the 
strangest looking man. He had on a 
queer, long coat, that came down to 

his heels. It was half red and half yel- 

8 


low. He was tall and thin, with long, 
yellow hair, and blue eyes as sharp as 
pins. 

He came up to the table where the 
council sat. 

“My friends,” said he, “I see you 
have a great many rats in your village. 
Would you like to get rid of them?” 

“Yes, yes!” they all cried at once. 
We have just met to talk it over, but 
can think of no way to do it. If you 
know a way, please tell us at once.” 

“I am sure I do,” said the man, “for 
with this pipe I can draw after me any¬ 
thing that creeps, swims, flies or runs. 
If I rid your town of rats, will you give 
me a thousand guilders?” 

“Yes, fifty thousand!” they cried. 
“ Only take the rats away.” 

“Very well,” said the man, “it is a 

J 9 


bargain.^ Then he opened the door 
and went into the street. He put his 
pipe to his lips and began to play. 
Before he had played three notes, 

“ Out of the houses the rats came tum¬ 
bling— 

Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny 
rats, 

Brown rats, black rats, gray rats, tawny 
rats,” 

all following the piper as if for their 
lives. 

Down to the river he went, drawing 
the rats after him. In they plunged, 
head first, and were drowned. All, did 
I say? No, there was one very large 
rat that swam across the river and car¬ 
ried the news to Rat-land. 

10 






































You should have heard the people 
ringing the bells when they saw the 
last rat go under. 

“Gro,” cried the mayor, “and get long 
poles, 

Poke out the nests and block up the 
holes.” 

But by this time the piper had come 
back, saying, 

“First, if you please, my thousand 
guilders!” 

A thousand guilders! The mayor 
and council turned pale. They began 
to think what this money would buy. 
Why should they pay out such a sum ? 

“Besides,” said they, “we saw the 
rats go down, and they can not come 
to life again. Won’t you take fifty 

guilders instead of a thousand?” 

12 


“No,” cried the piper, “not one 
guilder less than a thousand, will I 
take. If you do not keep your promise 
I will play a different tune.” 

“Oh, we are not afraid of you,” they 
said. “You may blow your pipe till 
you burst. We do not care.” 

Once more the piper stepped into 
the street. He put his pipe to his lips 
and began to play. Before he had 
played three notes, 

“Out came the children running; 

All the little boys and girls 
With rosy cheeks and golden curls, 
With sparkling eyes and teeth like 
pearls, 

Tripping and skipping, ran merrily after 
The wonderful music, with shouting and 
laughter.” 

13 


The mayor and council stood as if 
turned to stone. They saw him go 
straight toward the river. 

“Oh, he will drown our children just 
as he did the rats!” they cried. But 
he turned and went toward a mountain. 
They thought the children were safe 
then, 

“He can never cross that mountain,” 
“He will have to stop when he comes 
to that.” 

But when they reached the mount¬ 
ain, a wonderful door opened in the 
side of it. The piper went in and all 
the children followed him. The door 
closed behind them. 

“Hid I say all? Ho! One was lame 
And could not dance the whole of the 
way.” 


14 



"THE PIPER WENT IN AND ALL THE CHILDREN FOLLOWED HIM” 

15 














He turned and went slowly back to 
his home. Ever after, he was sad, and 
when asked the reason, he always said, 
“Oh, it is so dull here, since my com¬ 
panions went away. I always think of 
the good times they are having. The 
piper said we should see many beauti¬ 
ful things in that strange land.” 

The people spent years trying to find 
the piper. They sent word over the 
country that they would give him all 
the gold and silver he wished, if only 
he would bring back the children. But 
he was never again heard of. 

Ever after, these words were kept in 
the town, where all could see them: 
“Always keep your promise.” 


16 


THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE. 


Once upon a time an old fisherman 
and his wife lived in a tiny house by 
the sea. 

They were very poor. Often, when 
the old man caught no fish, they went 
to bed hungry; yet they were happy, 
because they had each other. 

One fine morning the fisherman arose 
early and went down to the sea to fish. 
The water danced and smiled in the 
rays of the shining sun. It seemed to 
say to the old man, “Come, we will 
help you.” 

He threw his line into the water, and 
soon it went to the bottom. When he 
drew it out, what do you think he saw? 
A fine large fish, such as he had not 

17 



seen for many a day. You may be 
sure he was very glad. 

“Now for a feast,” said he; but just 
as he was about to take the fish from 
the hook, it said: “Please let me go, 
good fisherman; I am not a real fish, 
but a prince, with the form of a fish. I 
am not good to eat, so you may as well 
let me have my life.” 

Now the old man had a very kind 
heart; besides, he had no use for a fish 
that could not be eaten; so he put it 
back into the sea. 

When he went home his wife asked: 
“Have you caught anything?” 

“ Only a flounder,” said the old man. 
“He said he was a prince, who had been 
turned to a fish; and begged me to let 
him go; so I put him back into the 
water.” 


18 





» 



19 









































“And did you not wish first?” 

“Ho,” said the old man. 

“Ah, that is bad,” said his wife, “do 
back at once and tell him we want a 
better house than this.” 

“But how can I do that?” asked 
he. 

“Why you must call to him, and 
when he comes up to the shore, tell 
him what you wish. He will give it to 
you because you let him go this morn¬ 
ing.” 

The kind old man did not like to do 
this. 

“I did only what was right this 
morning,” said he to himself. “ Why 
should I ask pay for it ?” 

But he wished also to please his wife, 
so down he went to the sea. When he 
reached it, he found the water looking 


green and yellow, and it did not seem 
to smile at him as it had before. 

This made him feel sad, for he loved 
the sea as an old friend. 

He stood and looked at it for some 
time, then he called: 

“Flounder, Flounder, in the sea, 
Hither, quickly come to me; 

For my wife, Dame Isabel, 

Wishes what I dare not tell.” 

Sure enough, the same fish he had 
caught in the morning, came swimming 
up and said, “What do you want with 
me ?” 

“Oh,” said the old man, “I came 
down to catch you again. My wife 
says I should have made a wish before 
I let you go.” 


21 


“ What does she want ?” asked the fish. 

“She does not like the old hut, and 
wishes a nice new cottage.” 

“Gio home,” said the fish, “she has 
it now.” 

When the old man went back, the 
tiny hut was gone. In its place stood 
a pretty little cottage. More than that, 
there was a yard with shade trees in 
front of the house. 

His wife came out to meet him, and 
he hardly knew her, for she was 
dressed neatly, and wore a snowy cap 
and apron. 

Her face was bright with smiles as 
she led him into the house. There, all 
was neat and bright as she herself. The 
old man’s heart was full of joy, as he 
looked, first at his wife and then at the 
cheerful rooms. 


22 


“See, now,” said she, “is not this 
worth wishing for ?” 

Then she led him back of the house, 
where he saw a fat, sleek-looking cow, 
lazily eating grass in a meadow near by. 
The air was filled with the cackling of 
hens and the drowsy hum of bees. 

There was, too, a fine orchard in full 
bloom, and so many good things, be¬ 
sides, that the old man could not help 
saying, “Now, dear wife, we have noth¬ 
ing more to wish for.” 

An d for many days it did seem as if 
this were true. But one morning the 
wife said to her husband: 

“This house and yard are too small. 
The flounder may as well give us a 
larger one. Go to him and say that I 
wish to live in a stone castle.” 

“Ah, wife,” said the good old man, 

23 

/ 

I 


“we should thank God for what we 
have, and not be always wishing for 
more. The sun can reach us better 
here than if we were in a stone castle.” 

“I care not for the sun,” said his 
wife. “Give me rather a heap of shin¬ 
ing gold. Go at once. I wish to be 
out of this.” 

With a sad heart the old man went 
again to the sea. When he came near 
the water it was green and yellow no 
longer, but dark blue and black. The 
waves did not dance at all, and he 
thought, “Ah, my old friend does not 
know me.” Then he called: 

“Flounder, Flounder, in the sea, 
Hither, quickly come to me, 

For my wife, Dame Isabel, 

Wishes what I dare not tell.” 

24 


Soon the water parted and the fish 
came up. 

“What do you wish now?” he asked. 

“Oh,” said the fisherman, “my wife 
has grown tired of the cottage and 
wishes to have a castle.” 

“Go home, she has it now,” said the 
fish. 

But this did not cheer the old man, 
and he went sadly towards his home. 

Where the pretty little cottage had 
stood, he saw a beautiful stone castle. 
Down the broad marble steps came a 
grand lady, dressed in silk, and wear¬ 
ing costly jewels. It was his wife. 

She took him by the hand and led 
him through the fine rooms. It was all 
so dazzling, that when they were 
through, the old man went out into the 
sunlight to rest his eyes. 


The castle stood in the center of a 
beautiful park. In the park were tame 
deer, and birds were singing sweetly, 
among the branches of the trees. This 
pleased him very much and his heart 
began to grow light again. 

That evening he said to his wife, 
“Surely, dear wife, you have all you 
wish now.” 

“I am not so sure about that,” said 
she. “I have been thinking how nice 
it would be if we were king and queen. 
Go to the flounder and tell him we 
wish it.” 

“Ah, but I do not wish to be king; 
we have so much now, why wish for 
more ?” 

“Go, then, and tell him I wish to be 
queen.” 

With a very heavy heart, he went 

26 




again to the sea. This time the water 
was black. The waves dashed up at 
him as though they were angry; but 
he stood still and called: 

“Flounder, Flounder, in the sea, 
Hither, quickly come to me, 

For my wife, Dame Isabel, 

Wishes what I dare not tell.” 

“What does she want now,” asked 
the flounder. 

“She wishes to be queen.” 

“Go home, and find her so,” said the 
flounder. 

When he came again to his home, 
the old man found that the castle had 
become larger. It was now a palace. 
In front of it was a great gate-way, 
before which stood a herald and many 
soldiers. 


27 


He found everything about the 
palace made of marble and pure gold; 
the curtains were woven of gold and 
silver thread, and fringed with gold. 
But the marble was so cold it chilled, 
him; and the gleam of gold and silver 
hurt his eyes, so that he closed them, 
and wished for his little cottage. But 
this could not be; his wife was now 
queen, and he must go to her. 

So through the hall he went, in and 
out of the great doors, until he came 
to the throne room. 

There sat his wife upon a high 
throne of gold and diamonds. She 
wore a crown of gold, set with costly 
gems. On each side of the throne 
stood six pages in a row, each a head 
taller than the other. 

The old man stood for a long time 

28 



“WHERE THE PRETTY LITTLE COTTAGE HAD STOOD HE SAW 
A BEAUTIFUL STONE CASTLE’’ 


looking at this scene. At last he said, 
“Ah, wife, are you really queen?” 
“Yes,” said she, “now I am queen.” 
“And how do you like it? Now you 
have nothing more to choose.” 

“I will think about that,” she said, 
and the old man wondered where it 
would end. 


29 




















The next morning the queen arose 
very early. The sun was just peeping 
through the trees, and the drops of 
dew shone like so many diamonds. 

“Why may I not make the sun 
rise?” thought she. Then calling to 
her husband, she said, “Gio and tell the 
flounder I want to make the sun rise.” 

When the old man heard this, he 
was so frightened that he could scarcely 
stand. 

“Ah, wife, why do you wish such a 
thing. It can not be. I dare not ask 
it,” he said. 

“Gk> at once,” was the answer. “I 
cannot rest until I have my wish.” So 
the old man went slowly down to the 
sea, his heart beating with fear. 

When he came to the shore a great 
storm was raging. The waves were 

30 


mountain high, and when he called he 
could not hear his own voice; but he 
called as loudly as he could, 

“Flounder, Flounder, in the sea, 
Hither, quickly come to me; 

For my wife, Dame Isabel, 

Wishes what I dare not tell.” 

“What does she wish now?” asked 
the fish. 

“Ah!” said he, “she wants to make 
the sun rise ” 

“ Go back, and find her in her hovel,” 
said the flounder. 

And there they had to live all the 
rest of their lives. 


31 





THE THREE WISHES. 


A good man was once traveling 
through a strange land. Night came 
on while he was yet far from any inn. 
He sat down on a stone to rest. He 
was very tired and hungry, and felt as 
though he could go no farther. 

After resting awhile, he arose and 
went on. He had gone but a few steps 
when he saw two houses—one on each 
side of the road. 

One house was large and beautiful. 
It belonged to a rich man. The other 
was a tiny old hut. It looked almost 
ready to fall over. 

The stranger looked at them a few 
moments. 


32 



“I will stay with the rich man,” 
thought he. “He is better able to 
keep me.” 

Then he knocked at the door. The 
rich man put his head out of the win¬ 
dow and said: 

“Who are you, and what do you 
want ?” 

“I am a traveler,” said the man. “I 
am very tired and hungry and can go 
no farther. May I stay here all 
night ?” 

“Ho,” said the rich man, “I have no 
room for you. If we kept every beg¬ 
gar that came along we should soon 
have nothing for ourselves.” With 
that he closed the window. 

The man turned away, and went 
across to the old hut. He knocked 
softly, and the door was opened wide. 

J 1 33 




The poor man did not ask who he was 
nor what he wanted. He only said: 

“Come right in, stranger, and sit 
down. You look very tired.” 

“ That I am,” said the man. “ I have 
come a long way to-day, and have had 
nothing to eat since morning.” 

The poor man’s wife gave him a 
chair, saying: 

“We haven’t much, but such as it is, 
you are most welcome to it.” 

The stranger thanked her and sat 
down. While she was getting the sup¬ 
per ready, he told of his travels. He 
seemed to forget that he was tired and 
hungry, until the wife said: 

“Now, draw your chair to the table, 
friend. There is not much on it, but 
it’s the best we have.” 

The stranger thanked her, saying: 

34 


“Your kindness will make it a feast.” 

And it did seem as though he had 
never eaten such good bread and but¬ 
ter. The potatoes were good enough 
for a king. And the milk—well, I’m 
sure it was the sweetest and richest he 
had ever tasted. 

You think it was because he was so 
hungry. Perhaps it was. Any way 
the stranger thought it a very good 
supper. 

When he was through eating, they 
talked until bed-time. Then the wife 
called her husband aside and said: 

“The stranger is very tired. Let us 
give him our bed and we will sleep on 
the floor.” 

But the good man said: 

“I cannot think of such a thing. I 
will sleep on the floor myself.” 

35 


Neither the old man nor his wife 
would listen to this. So the stranger 
took their bed, and they lay down upon 
the floor. 

I do not think it seemed very hard 
to them, after all. As for the stranger, 
he was soon fast asleep. 

The good wife was up before day¬ 
break next morning. When the stranger 
awoke, breakfast was almost ready. 

“Well, my friend, have you rested 
well ?” asked the old man. 

“I never slept better in my life,’’ 
said the stranger. “But you and your 
good wife must be very tired.” 

“Indeed we are not,” said the wife. 
“I feel as fresh as if I had slept on a 
bed of down.” 

“And I too,” said the old man. 

Then they all sat down to breakfast. 

36 


And such a breakfast as that was! To 
be sure they had only corn cakes, but¬ 
ter, honey and coffee. But what more 
was needed? 

As soon as breakfast was over the 
stranger said, “I am very sorry to leave 
such good friends, but I must go on my 
way. You have been so kind to me, 
that I cannot go without doing some¬ 
thing for you.” 

“No,” said the old man, “we do not 
wish to be paid for doing a kindness.” 

“Well,” said the stranger, “if you 
will not take pay, I will grant you 
three wishes.” 

They thought awhile, and then the 
old man said, “We wish, first, for good 
health and enough to eat. Then, we 
have always thought we should like to 
die at the same time.” 

37 




“You shall have what you ask,” said 
the stranger.” But you have another 
wish. Is there nothing else you would 
like to have ?” 

“We think of nothing else now,” 
said they. 

“Would you not like a new house in 
the place of this old one?” asked the 
stranger. 

“Well, yes,” said the old man. 
“That would be nice, if we could have 
it so.” 

Ho sooner had he said it than they 
found themselves in a beautiful new 
house. There stood the stranger smil¬ 
ing at them and bidding them good¬ 
bye. 

When he was gone, they went 
through the house. It had everything 
in it to make them happy. Then they 


sat down and looked at each other. 

“You look ten years younger,” said 
the wife. 

“And you look fifteen years young¬ 
er,” said the husband. Then they 
laughed. 

At this time the rich man and his 
wife were just getting up. The wife 
looked out of the window. 

“Just come here,” she said to her 
husband. “What does this mean? 
Last night our neighbors lived in an 
old hut. Now they have a fine new 
house.” 

“I’m sure I don’t know,” said her 
husband. “Go over and ask them.” 

Tap, tap, tap, sounded on the door 
of the new house. The good woman 
ran to open it. There stood the rich 
man’s wife. She had never been there 


before. They kindly asked her to come 
in. 

“What a beautiful new house!” she 
said. “Do tell me all about it.” 

They sat down and told her of the 
stranger who had stayed with them 
the night before. 

“And when he got ready to go this 
morning, he granted us three wishes,” 
said the old man. “We wished first 
for good health and enough to eat; 
then that we might die together. He 
said we should have what we asked, 
adding, ‘Is there nothing else you 
want? Would you not like a new 
house ?’” 

“We told him it would please us very 
much. Then he went away.” 

The rich man’s wife went home and 
told the story to her husband. 

40 


“Oh, I wish I had known it,” said 
he. 

“Known what?” asked his wife. 

“Why, the same man was here last 
night. He wanted to stay, but I told 
him we didn’t keep beggars.” 

“Saddle your horse and ride after 
him,” said his wife. “You can soon 
overtake him. He can not have gone 
very far.” 

“But what good will that do?” asked 
the husband. 

“Why, don’t you see?” said his wife. 
“Tell him you are sorry for what you 
did, ask him to come here the next 
time, and to grant us three wishes.” 

The rich man did not wait to be 
told twice. He saddled his horse 
quickly and rode after the stranger. 
By and by he overtook him, resting by 

41 


the roadside. After talking awhile, the 
rich man said: 

“You should not have been in such 
a hurry last night. I was looking for 
the key to unlock the door, and you 
went away. The next time you come 
this way you must stop with us.” 

“I will,” said the traveler, “if I ever 
come back.” 

Then the rich man asked if he, too, 
might have three wishes. 

“Yes,” said the traveler, “but you 
will be sorry you asked for them.” 

The rich man thought that could not 
be, as he was sure he could make good 
wishes. 

“Yery well,” said the traveler. 
“Whatever you wish shall come 
true.” 

The rich man thanked him and 


42 


turned towards home. He let the rein 
fall upon the horse’s neck. 

The horse soon found that no one 



‘ DOWN FELL THE POOR HORSE AND BROKE HIS NECK” 


was holding the rein, and began to 
prance about. 

“Be quiet, will you?” he said. But 
the horse only pranced the more. 

43 



“I wish you would fall and break 
your neck!” he cried. 

Foolish man! Down fell the poor 
horse and broke its neck. Then he saw 
that he had lost his first wish and a 
good horse besides. He stood for 
awhile and looked at the poor animal. 

“Well,” said he, “it will not do to 
leave that good saddle here.” 

So he took off the saddle and threw 
it across his shoulder. By this time 
the sun was quite hot. Walking 
through the deep sand made him warm 
and tired, and the saddle seemed to 
grow very heavy. Just then he thought 
of his wife. 

“ She is sitting at home in a nice cool 
room, all this time, while I trudge 
along in this hot sand and carry this 
heavy saddle.” 


“I wish she was sitting on it this 
minute, and couldn’t get off?” cried he. 

Before the last word was out of his 
mouth the saddle was gone. He knew 
then that he had lost his second wish. 

When he reached home he ran 
quickly into the house. Sure enough, 
there sat his wife upon the saddle. 

“Come and wish me off this saddle,” 
she cried. 

“I have only one wish left,” said he. 
“Do keep quiet and let me think. I 
must make a good wish.” 

“But what good will that do me, if I 
must sit on this saddle all my life?” 
said she. 

And whether he would or no, he had 
to wish her off the saddle. 


45 


THE GOLDEN TOUCH. 


There was once a king who was very- 
rich. His name was Midas. King 
Midas loved gold better than anything 
else in the world. There was nothing 
he loved half so well except his little 
daughter, Marygold. He thought, fool¬ 
ish man, that the way to show this 
love, was to get for her as much gold 
as he could. 

Down deep under his castle, was a 
small, dark room. In this room King 
Midas kept his gold. Every day he 
went there to look at it. 

He was always careful to lock the 
door, so that no one could follow him. 
This room was a very dreary place. 
Only one little sunbeam ever thought 



of peeping into it. King Midas loved 
this little sunbeam, because his gold 
could not shine without it. 

He used to put his treasure right 
where the little ray would fall upon it. 
Then he would play with the pieces of 
gold, throwing them up and catching 
them again. He had a large bowl of 
solid gold. It was so bright that he 
could see himself in it. He would sit 
for hours and look at his face in this 
rich mirror. Sometimes the face seemed 
to be making fun of him. Then he 
would lay it aside. 

Next, he would bring out his bags 
of gold dust and let the dust run 
through his fingers, as a child plays 
with sand. He often said to himself: 

“Oh, I wish I had the whole world 
for my treasure-room, and full of gold 

47 


all my own; then I could be happy.” 

One day while he was looking at his 
gold, he thought the sunbeam grew 
larger. It seemed to fill the whole 
room. The rays danced in the corners 
like fairies. King Midas looked up. 
There stood a beautiful young man 
near the door. His face was so bright 
that the king shaded his eyes with his 
hands as he looked. 

“You are a very rich man, friend 
Midas. With all this gold you ought 
to be the happiest man in the world.” 

“Yes,” said Midas, “I have done 
very well; but it has taken almost a 
lifetime to get this. Now, if I could 
live a thousand years, I might get rich 1” 
“Why, haven’t you enough yet?” 
asked the young man, opening his eyes 
very wide. 


“No,” said Midas. 

“Well,” said the stranger, “I should 
like to know what would satisfy you. 
Will you be kind enough to tell me ?” 

The king thought for a time and 
then said: 

“If I could have my way, everything 
I touch would turn to gold.” 

“Are you quite sure this would 
satisfy you?” asked the young man. 

“Sure of it?” cried Midas. “Why 
shouldn’t it satisfy me ?” 

“ And are you sure you would never 
be sorry you made such a wish ?” said 
the stranger. 

“How could I be sorry? I tell you I 
should be the happiest man in the world.” 

“Very well,” said the stranger, “to¬ 
morrow, at sunrise, you will have the 
Golden Touch. 


49 


When King Midas awoke the next 
morning a little sunbeam shone on his 
bed. He put out his hand and touched 
the coverlet. It was changed to gold. 
With a cry of joy he sprang from his 
bed. 

“Hurrah! I have the Golden Touch.” 
he cried. 

He ran about touching everything in 
the room. Of course they all turned 
to gold. Then he dressed himself and 
was delighted to find that his clothes 
had become beautiful garments of gold. 
He pr + on his spectacles, but could not 
see through them. Taking them off 
and rubbing them he saw that the glass 
had become plates of gold. 

As he went down stairs, he put his 
hand on the railing. It turned to gold. 

He opened the door and went into 

50 










































the garden. The roses were nodding 
in the fresh morning breeze; the air 
was filled with their sweet perfume. 
But King Midas did not care for this. 
What do you think he did ? Why, he 
changed everyone of those roses into 
hard, shining gold. The dew drops 
became diamonds. 

Then he went back to the house. 
Breakfast was ready. Marygold had 
not yet come in, so he had her called. 
She always had bread and milk for her 
breakfast. She ate it out of a beauti¬ 
ful china bowl. This bowl had strange 
trees and houses painted upon it. While 
the father waited for her, he thought 
he would change her bowl to gold. 

“That will please her,” thought he. 

Just then he heard her coming. The 
door opened and she came in. She had 

52 


her apron to her eyes and was crying 
as if her heart would break. 

“Why, what is the matter my dear 
child?” asked the king. 

“Oh, my beautiful roses! They are 
all ugly and yellow,” cried she. “ When 
I try to smell them, their hard petals 
prick my nose ” 

“Well, dear, don’t cry about it. Sit 
down and eat your bread and milk.” 

They both sat down to the table. He 
thought she would forget about the 
roses, when she saw her golden bowl; 
but she was too sad to notice it. Per- 
haps it was best that she did not, for 
she had always been so fond of looking 
at the pictures upon it. These faded 
as soon as the bowl was changed to 
gold. 

His walk in the garden had given 

53 


the king a good appetite. His break¬ 
fast of baked potatoes, fish, hot cakes 
and coffee looked very good indeed. 

“Well, this is nice,” he said, as he 
poured out a cup of coffee. He smiled 
when he saw the coffee pot turn to gold. 

“I shall soon have nothing but gold 
on my table,” thought he, and began to 
wonder where he could keep his 
treasure. 

He raised the cup of coffee to his 
lips. That, too, turned to gold. Of 
course he could not drink it. He set 
the cup down quickly. Marygold looked 
up and asked, 

“ What is the matter, father ? ” 

“Nothing, child, nothing,” said the 
king. 

He thought he would try one of the 
fish. As soon as he touched it, it be- 

54 


came hard and bright. Then he broke 
one of the cakes. It became yellow 
and heavy. 

“I don’t quite see how I am to get 
any breakfast,” thought the king. 

He looked at Marygold. She was 
quietly eating her bread and milk. How 
he longed to have just one bite! What 
good would all this gold do him, if he 
could not eat anything ? 

The potatoes looked so tempting that 
he thought he would try again. 

“Perhaps I can swallow so quickly, 
that a potato will not have time to 
turn to gold,” thought he. 

Poor foolish Midas! He popped one 
into his mouth, but it changed as soon 
as he touched it. The hot gold burned 
him so that he jumped up and cried 
out with pain. 


55 


“Why, what is the matter, dear 
father?” cried Marygold. “Have you 
burned yourself ?” 

“Oh, my child,” said the king, “I 
don’t know what is to become of your 
poor father!” 

Marygold got down from her chair 
and ran to him. By this time Midas 
hated the very sight of gold. He felt 
that Marygold was all he had to love 
now. He took her in his arms and 
kissed her. 

Oh, unhappy Midas! Marygold, too, 
had become hard, shining gold. There 
were the tears still on her cheeks; 
they were little lumps of gold now. 
Everything was the same, even the 
pretty dimple in her chin. 

Poor Midas! His heart was almost 
broken. He threw himself upon the 


floor and tried to pray. The words 
would not come. 

All at once the room grew very 
bright. Midas raised his head. There 
stood the stranger who had given him 
the Golden Touch. His face was sad, 
yet Midas thought he saw a smile there, 
too, as he said: 

“ Well, friend Midas, how do you like 
the Golden Touch?” 

“Hush!” cried the king. “I hate the 
very name of gold !” 

“Why, how is this?” asked the 
stranger. “Have you not enough yet?” 

“Enough!” cried the king. “Too 
much! I wish I might never see gold 
again. Gold is not everything. See,” 
said he, pointing to Marygold. “I 
would give all the gold in the world, 
just to see her smile again.” 

57 


“You are sure you have had enough 
of the Golden Touch?” asked the 
stranger. 

Midas’ look showed that he thought 
the question a very foolish one. 

“Take a vase,” said the young man, 
“and go to the river that runs by your 
garden; jump head first into the river 
and fill the vase with the water; then 
put a few drops of it on anything you 
have changed to gold. It will become 
as it was before,” and the stranger was 
gone. 

You may be sure the king lost no 
time. He took a vase, and running to 
the river, jumped in. As soon as he 
touched the water his heart seemed to 
grow light. He was glad to see the 
vase become china again. 

He filled it and went quickly to the 

58 


house. The first thing he did was to 
sprinkle a little water over Marygold. 
As soon as it touched her, her cheeks 
became pink and her blue eyes opened 
wide. 

“Why are you throwing water on 
me, father ?” she cried. “You will soil 
my pretty dress.” 

The king said nothing. He did not 
want her to know how foolish he had 
been. He took her in his arms and 
kissed her many times. 

While she went to put on another 
dress, he took the vase into the garden 
and put a few drops of water on each 
flower. When Marygold came out she 
was delighted to see them bowing to 
her as if nothing had been wrong. 

The king did not stop until he had 
put water on everything he had turned 

59 



to gold. Then he remembered that he 
was very hungry. Never had he eaten 
anything hall so good as that breakfast. 
He was a happy man now. 

Two things were left to remind him 
of the Golden Touch. The sand in the 
river sparkled like gold, and Marygold’s 
hair, which had once been brown, now 
had a tinge of gold. As this made her 
more beautiful, Midas was not sorry. 
He used to say it was the only gold he 
cared for now. 


60 


RHOECUS. 


There was once a little boy whose 
name was Rhoecus. He had neither 
father nor mother, and was often very 
lonely. He loved to play in the woods. 
He used to say that the trees and 
flowers were his friends, and that the 
little brook sang to him. 

There was one large oak that he 
loved better than any tree in the forest. 
He often lay down in its shade, when 
very tired. 

One night there came a great storm. 
The wind blew very, very hard. The 
next day Rhoecus went into the forest 
and ran to the old oak. It was almost 
ready to fall down. He propped it up. 
Just as he was going away, he thought 



he heard a voice call, “Rhcecus!” He 
looked around, but could see no one. 

Again he turned to go and again the 
voice called, “Rhoecus!” This time he 
saw a beautiful woman standing by the 
tree. 

“Rhcecus,” she said, “I am the Dryad 
of this tree. When you propped it up 
you saved my life. Ask what you will, 
and I will grant it, if I can.” 

Rhoecus did not think long before he 
answered: 

“I should like to have you for my 
friend” 

“Very well,” said the Dryad, “come 
back again before sunset, and you shall 
have your wish.” 

Then she was gone. Rhcecus listened 
to hear more, but everything was still. 

He turned and went back to the vil- 

62 


iage in which he lived. There he saw 
some boys playing. They asked him 
to join them and he did so. The hours 
passed by and Rhcecus forgot his prom¬ 
ise. 

The sun was just setting when a bee 
flew close to his ear. He brushed it 
away. It came again, and again he 
brushed it away. A third time it came 
Rhoecus grew angry and struck the be€- 
with his hat. It fell to the ground but 
soon rose and flew slowly away. Rhce¬ 
cus watched it fly toward a mountain. 
He could see the red sun just going 
down behind the mountain. All at 
once he remembered and his heart 
stood still. 

He turned and ran wildly down to 
the forest. He reached the old oak 
just as the sun set. 

63 



“ Rhcecus!” said the voice. He looked 
but could see no one. 

“Oh, Rhcecus! You are too late. I 
sent the bee to warn you, but you sent 
it away with bruised wings.” 

“Forgive me,” cried Rhcecus. “I 
will never forget again.” 

“I can forgive you,” said the voice, 
“but you can never see me again.” 

Rhoecus fell upon his knees and 
begged. All in vain. He heard only 
the one word “Nevermore.” Then all 
was still and he was alone. 


64 




LITTLE DAFFYDOWNDILLY. 


There was once a little boy whose 
name was Daffydowndilly. Isn’t that a 
pretty name? Well, Daffydowndilly 
was a very pretty little boy. He had 
bright blue eyes and his cheeks were 
like roses, while his hair made one 
think of spun gold. 

You think his name sounds like the 
name of a flower? So it does. That 
is why it was such a good name for 
this little boy. He looked like a bright 
flower. He often played in the mead¬ 
ows all day long. He liked to do only 
what was easy and pleasant. 

Daffydowndilly’s mother was very 
kind to him. Her sweet face always 



wore a smile for the little boy. Indeed, 
I do not think he knew what a frown 

was. 

But Daffydowndilly could not always 
play. Like all little boys, he was soon 
old enough to go to school, and then 
was sent away from his pleasant home 
to a school so many miles away, that 
he had to stay there all the time. The 
schoolmaster’s name was Mr. Toil. 

Daffydowndilly had never before seen 
a face like Mr. Toil’s. There were such 
deep lines in it. How he frowned on 
the lazy boys! How harsh his voice 
was when he spoke to them! 

Daffydowndilly had been at school 
but a week when he said to himself, “I 
don’t like to go to school. I’m afraid 
of Mr. Toil. I don’t like to work. I 

want to play. I’ll run away.” 

66 



“I AM RUNNING AWAY PROM SCHOOL BECAUSE I DO NOT 
LIKE THE MASTER,” HE SAID 
67 




















So the very next morning, Daffy- 
downdilly ran away. He had some 
bread and cheese for his breakfast and 
a little money in his pocket. 

How glad he was to get away from 
school! He felt like a bird out of its cage. 

He had not gone far when he over¬ 
took a man who, also, was walking. 

“Hood morning, my boy,” said the 
stranger. “Where are you going so 
early?” 

How, Daffy do wndilly had never told 
a falsehood in his life and would not 
tell one now. After looking at the 
stranger for a moment he said, 

“ I am running away from school be¬ 
cause I do not like the master. His 
name is Mr. Toil, and oh, he is so cross! 
I want to go where I shall never hear of 
him again.” 


“Oh, very well, my little friend,” said 
the stranger. “ We will go together. I, 
too, know Mr. Toil, and should like to 
find a place where he has never been 
heard of.” 

This did not quite please Daffydown- 
dilly. He would like a little boy for 
his companion much better. Then they 
could stop and gather flowers or chase 
butterflies. That would be so pleasant. 
But he thought, 

“This man will know better which 
way to go. He will take care of me 
and keep me from harm.” 

So he trudged along with the strang¬ 
er. They had not gone far, when they 
came to a field where men were at 
work, cutting the tall grass. Then they 
spread it out in the sun to dry. 

Daflydowndilly was delighted with 


the sweet smell of the new-mown grass. 
The sun shown down on the field. The 
birds sang in the trees near by. 

“ Oh, how beautiful!” cried he. “ Let 
us stop and watch them. I wish I 
might stay here always. How much 
nicer it is here, than in that old school¬ 
room.” 

Just then he saw something that 
made him start back and catch his 
companion’s hand. 

“Quick, quick!” cried he. “Let us 
run away or he will catch us!” 

“Who will catch us?” asked the 
stranger. 

“Mr. Toil, the old schoolmaster,” 
answered Daffydowndilly. “ Don’t you 
see him in the field there ?” 

He pointed to an old man who 
seemed to be the owner of the field. 

70 


He had taken off his coat and was 
working in his shirt sleeves. He did 
not rest a moment. All the time he 
kept saying, 

“Make hay while the sun shines, my 
men,” 

Sure enough, he did look just like 
Mr. Toil. His voice, too, was the same, 
Yet Mr. Toil must have been in the 
school room at that time. 

“Don’t be afraid,” said the stranger. 
This is not Mr. Toil, the schoolmaster. 
It is one of his brothers. He is a farm¬ 
er. People say he is worse than the 
schoolmaster. But he won’t trouble 
you, unless you go to work on his 
farm.” 

Daffydowndilly believed this, yet was 
glad to get away. By-and-by they saw 
some carpenters building a house 


Daffydowndilly wanted to stop again. 
He loved to watch the men making 
doors and putting in windows. How 
neatly they did their work. 

It was a pretty sight to see the shav¬ 
ings roll from under the plane. They 
looked like ribbons. 

“How nice it would be to have a 
saw, a hammer, and a plane, and build 
a little house for myself,” thought he. 

While he was thinking what fine fun 
this would be, he saw something which 
made him cry out, 

“Make haste. Quick, quick! There 
he is again!” 

“ Who ?” asked the stranger. 

“Old Mr. Toil,” said Daffydowndilly. 
“There! Don’t you see him among the 
carpenters? That’s my old school¬ 
master, as sure as I live!” 


The stranger looked where he point¬ 
ed. He saw an old man with a car¬ 
penter’s rule in his hand. He was 
marking out the work to be done. All 
the time he was telling the men to 
work hard. And they sawed and ham¬ 
mered and planed as if for their lives. 

“Oh, no!” said the stranger, “this is 
not Mr. Toil, the schoolmaster. It is 
another brother of his. He is a car¬ 
penter.” 

“ I’m very glad to hear it,” said 
Daffydowndilly. “But I’d like to get 
out of his way as soon as I can.” 

So on they went. Soon they heard 
the sound of a drum and fife. Daffy¬ 
downdilly knew there must be soldiers 
coming. 

“ Let us make haste,” said he “I want 
to see the soldiers.” 


They walked as fast as they could, 
and soon met a company of soldiers. 
They were gayly dressed, with beauti¬ 
ful feathers in their caps and carried 
bright guns on their shoulders. 

In front marched two drummers and 
lifers. How they beat their drums and 
played their fifes! What lively music 
they made! Daffy do wndilly thought he 
would like to follow them to the end of 
the world. 

“If I were a soldier,” he thought, 
“Mr. Toil would never dare to look me 
in the face.” 

“Quick step! Forward march!” 
shouted a gruff' voice. 

Daffy do wndilly started to run. 

“There he is again,” he cried. “I 
know his voice.” 

Daffydowndilly pointed to the cap* 

74 


tain. He was, indeed, the very image 
of Mr. Toil. To be sure he wore a cap 
and feather, and carried a sword in¬ 
stead of a stick. But Daffydowndilly 
was sure it was his old schoolmaster. 

“You are mistaken again, my little 
friend,” said the stranger. “ This is not 
Mr. Toil, the schoolmaster, but another 
brother of his. He is a soldier and has 
been in the army all his life. You and 
I need not fear him.” 

“Well,” said Daffydowndilly, “I’m 
glad to hear it; but, if you please sir, I 
don’t want to see the soldiers any 
more.” 

On they went and, by-and-by, came 
to a house by the roadside. They could 
hear the sound of a fiddle within and, 
through the open doorway could see 
boys and girls dancing. They were 


having a merry time. Daffydowndilly 
thought he had never seen anything 
half so pretty. 

“Oh, let us stop here,” he said. “Mr. 
Toil would never dare show his face 
where there is music and dancing. We 
shall be safe enough here.” 

Just then he looked at the fiddler. 
Whom should he see again but old Mr. 
Toil. He had a violin bow instead of 
a stick, but looked exactly like the old 
schoolmaster. 

“Oh, dear me!” said Daffy downdilly, 
turning pale. “Is there nobody but 
Mr. Toil in the whole world! Who 
would have thought he could plav a 
fiddle!” 

“This is not your old schoolmaster,” 
said the stranger. “This is another 
brother of his. He calls himself Mr. 


Pleasure, but his real name is Toil. 
Those who know him best, say he is 
worse than any of his brothers. 

“Let us go a -little farther,” said 
Daffydowndilly. “ I don’t like the looks 
of this fiddler at all.” 

So they went on through shady lanes 
and pleasant villages. Everywhere the 
sky was blue, the sun shone, and the 
birds sang. But go where they would, 
there was the image of old Mr. Toil. 
Whether they stopped at a cottage or 
a mansion, it was all the same. Some¬ 
times they found him in the parlor, 
very often in the kitchen. He was sure 
to be there somewhere. 

Daffydowndilly was very tired, and 
seeing some men lying in a shady place 
by the roadside, he cried, 

“Oh, let us sit down and rest. Mr. 

77 


Toil will never come here. He hates 
to see people resting.” 

Just then he looked at one of the 
men. He seemed to be the laziest of 
all. Who should it be again, but the 
very image of old Mr. Toil. 

“ There is a very large family of these 
Toils,” said the stranger. “This is an¬ 
other one of the schoolmaster’s broth¬ 
ers. He is a very idle fellow and does 
nothing but have, what he calls, a good 
time, but I think he has a harder time 
than any of the others.” 

Daffydowndilly began to cry. 

“ Oh, take me back! Take me back !” 
said he. “ If there is nothing but toil 
in the world, I may as well go back to 
the school house!” 

“ Well, there it is,” said the stranger. 
And, sure enough, there it was. 


You see they had been going in a 
circle, instead of a straight line. 

“Come, we will go back to school 
together.” 

Something in the stranger’s voice 
made Daffydowndilly look at him. 
There, again, was the face of old Mr. 
Toil! So the poor boy had been with 
him all day, even while he was trying 
so hard to get away from him. 

When he came to know the school¬ 
master better, he found that he was not 
so bad, after all. And when he learned 
his lessons well, the old schoolmaster’s 
smile was almost as pleasant as was 
that of his own mother. 


THE TOY OF THE GIANT’S CHILD 


Once upon a time a good giant lived 
in a great stone castle, far up among 
the mountains. One bright, sunny day 
his daughter came out and played be¬ 
side the door. By-and-by she grew 
tired of her play. 

“I will go down into the valley,” said 
she, “and see what the people are doing 
there.” 

So she tripped merrily down the 
mountain side. In the valley she saw 
a farmer plowing corn. He whistled a 
merry tune as he worked. His plow 
shone in the sun like silver. The horses 
arched their glossy necks and stepped 
proudly. It was a pretty sight. 











The giant’s daughter had never seen 
anything like it before. 

“I will take it home and show 
father,” she said. 

So she spread her handkerchief upon 
the ground and placed man, horses, and 
plow all on it. Then tying the corners 
nicely, she carried it up to the castle. 

“Oh, father, see what I have!” she 
cried. “ Such a beautiful plaything. I 
found it in the valley.” 

Her father was reading, but he turned 
away from his book and said, 

“What is it my dear2 Let me see 
it.” 

She took them from her handkerchief 
and placed them upon the table. 

“Why, my dear child!” cried her 
father. “This is no plaything. It is a 

farmer who has been plowing his corn. 

82 


Wrap them up carefully and carry them 
again to the valley. Remember that 
it was from the farmer that the race of 
giants came. Know, too, that if it 
were not for the farmer, we should 
have no bread." 

The girl did as her father told her. 
She afterwards went many times to the 
valley to watch the farmer at his work, 
but she never tried to carry him away 
again. 


83 


RUMPELSTILTSKIN. 


There was once a poor miller who 
had a beautiful daughter. People 
said there was not so sweet a face in 
all the country round. She was also a 
very good girl and her father was proud 
of her. 

One day he had to go to speak with 
the king. He wished the king to think 
well of him, so he told him that he had 
a daughter who could spin straw into 
gold. Now, the king liked nothing so 
well as gold. He thought to himself, 
“That is an art that would please me 
well.” So he said to the miller, “Your 
daughter is indeed very clever, if she 
can do that. Bring her to the castle 

84 



to-morrow. I wish to see if what you 
say is true.” 

The miller saw that he had made a 
great mistake in telling the king such a 
story. But he did not like to say that 
it was not true. So he went home and 
said to his daughter, 

“Ah, daughter, we are getting up in 
the world. To-day I visited the king 
and to-morrow you are to visit him.” 

“I!” said his daughter. “ Why, father, 
what do you mean? What business 
have I with the king?” 

“Well,” said her father, “I may as 
well tell you at once. To-day, while I 
was at the castle, I told him that you 
could spin straw into gold.” 

“ What made you think of telling him 
such a thing as that ?” cried the girl. 

“Well,” said he, “I wanted the king 

85 


to think well of me. I did not think 
he would ask me to prove it.” 

“Oh, father, father!” You have done 
a very wrong and foolish thing. You 
should not have tried to get the king’s 
good will by telling him what was not 
true.” 

“Well, I am very sorry I did it, but 
it is too late now to make it right.” So 
the next morning the poor girl started 
to the king’s castle. As soon as she 
got there the king led her into a room 
full of straw. Giving her a wheel, he 
said, 

“Now set yourself to work, and if 
you have not spun this straw into gold 
by sunrise to-morrow morning, you 
must die.” Then he shut the door and 
left the maiden alone. 

There she sat for a long time think- 


“AT LAST SHE BEGAN TO CRY” 


ing how to save her life. At last, in 
despair, she began to cry. All at once 
the door opened and in stepped the 
queerest looking little old man. 

“Good evening, fair maiden,” said he. 
“Why do you cry like this?” 

“Ah,” she said, “I must spin this 
straw into gold,-and I am sure I do not 
know how it is to be done.” 

87 
















u What will you give me if I spin it 
for you?” asked the little man. 

“My necklace,” said the maiden. 

The dwarf took it, sat down in front 
of the wheel, and whirr, whirr, whirr, 
three times round and the bobbin was 
full. Then he set up another, and 
whirr, whirr, whirr, three times around 
and a second bobbin was full. The 
wheel went round so fast that the 
maiden was afraid the dwarf’s long 
beard would be caught in it; but it was 
not. So he went on spinning all night 
long. At last all the straw was spun, 
and the bobbins were full of gold. 

At sunrise the king came. He was 
very much surprised to see the gold. It 
made his heart glad, but he wanted 
more yet. He led the girl into a still 
larger room full of straw. 


“Now,” said he, “go to work. If you 
have not spun this straw into gold by 
sunrise to-morrow morning, you must 
die.” Then he shut the door and left 
the girl alone. 

She did not know what to do so she 
began to cry. While she was crying, 
the door opened and in came the dwarf. 

“What will you give me this time if 
I spin the straw into gold ?” asked the 
little man. 

“The ring from my finger,” she 
answered. The little man took the ring 
and began to spin at once. By morn¬ 
ing all the straw was changed into 
shining gold. At sunrise the king 
came. He was much pleased when he 
saw the gold. Still he was not satisfied. 
He led the maiden into another still 
larger room, full of straw. 



“This you must spin to-night,” said 
he. “ If you can do it, you shall become 
queen. I could not find a richer wife 
in all the world,” he thought to himself. 

When the maiden was left alone, the 
door opened and the dwarf came in. 

“ What will you give me to do this 
for you ?” he asked. 

“ I have nothing left that I can give 
you,” said the maiden. 

“Well,” said the dwarf, “I’ll wait five 
years, and at the end of that time I’ll 
come and take the thing you love best. 
What do you say to that ?” 

The maiden thought to herself, 
“ When I become queen I will have so 
many beautiful things that it will be 
easy enough to pay him then. Besides, 
he may forget all about it before the 
five years have gone by. So she said, 

90 


“All right. You may do the work, 
and come again at .the end of five years 
for your pay.” 

The dwarf went to work and by 
morning the spinning was done. When 
the king came and saw this he said, 

“You are worth your weight in gold 
and you shall be my wife.” And so 
there was a grand wedding and the 
miller’s beautiful daughter became 
queen. 

For a long time she thought every 
day about the little dwarf. But by-and- 
by she forgot him. Five years passed 
by. One day when the queen was sit¬ 
ting by the window playing with the 
little prince the door opened and in 
came the dwarf. 

“I have come for my pay,” said he. 
And how he did grin. 

91 


The queen was not at all afraid, for 
she had plenty of gold and jewels. So 
she said, 

“What shall I give you?” 

“You promised to give me the thing 
you love best,’’ said he, and he looked 
straight at the young prince. 

The poor queen was now all in a 
tremble. Sure enough she had prom¬ 
ised to give him the thing she loved 
best. And she loved the little prince 
better than anything else on earth. She 
clasped the child in her arms and 
cried, 

“JSTo, no, I cannot do that. I will 
give you all the gold and jewels I have 
if you will let me keep my child.” Then 
she began to cry and groan so much 
that the dwarf said, 

“I will give you three days to think. 

92 


If in that time you can find out my 
name you may keep your child.” 

All night long the queen lay awake 
thinking over all the names she had 
ever heard. She also sent a servant 
through the country to find new names. 
The next morning the little dwarf 
came. The queen began with “ Caspar,” 
and went over all the odd names she 
knew. Each time the dwarf would 
stroke his long beard and say, 

“ That is not my name.” 

The second day the queen asked all 
her people for strange names. When 
the dwarf came she called him “Ribs 
of beef,” “Sheepshank,” “Whalebone,” 
and so on; but each time he stroked 
his long beard and said, 

“That is not my name.” 

The third day the queen sent the 

93 


servant out again. When he came back 
he said, 

“ I have not found a single name. But 
as I came to a high mountain near the 
edge of a forest, where foxes and hares 
say good night to each other, I saw a 
little house. A fire was burning before 
the door, and round this fire a strange 
little man was dancing on one leg, and 
singing, 

“To-day I stew, and then I’ll bake, 

For to-morrow the prince comes in; 
How good it is that nobody knows 
That my name is Rumpelstiltskin.” 

When the queen heard this she was 
very glad, for she knew the name. 
Soon after the dwarf came and asked, 

“How, my lady queen, what is my 
name ?” 



♦•AROUND THE FIRE A STRANGE LITTLE MAN WAS DANCING 

AND SINGING” 

95 






















































































First she said, “are you called Con¬ 
rad?” 

“No,” and he stroked his beard. 

“Are you called Hal?” 

“No.” And by this time he was in 
such glee that he caught up his long 
beard, whirled it round and round and 
then tied it in a knot. 

Then the queen looked straight at 
him and said, 

“Are you called Rumpelstiltskin ?” 

When the little dwarf heard that you 
may be sure he was very angry. He 
stamped his right foot so hard that it 
went into the ground and he could not 
get it out. Then he took hold of his 
left leg and pulled so hard that he 
pulled himself in two. 


96 


THE SEYEN RAVENS. 


There was once a man who had seven 
sons. They were beautiful boys, strong 
and healthy, and their parents loved 
them dearly. But they could not help 
wishing for a daughter. The boys, too, 
wished many times for a little sister to 
play with. 

At last a daughter was born and they 
were all very happy. But the child 
was so weak and small they feared it 
would die. It lived on, day after day, 
however, until it was almost a year old. 
Then one day it became very ill. They 
sent quickly for the doctor and when 
he came he said, 

“She is very sick, but a hot bath may 
save her.” 


97 




So the father called one of the boys 
to run to the spring for a pail of water. 
Now they were all so anxious to do 
something for the sick child, that they 
could not decide which should go. So 
the eldest said, 

“I will carry the pail to the spring. 
The one who reaches the spring first 
may carry the water back to the house. 
All be ready, and when I say £ go!’ all 
run. Ready! One, two, three, go!”and 
away they all ran, pell mell, down the 
hill. Just before they reached the 
spring the one who was carrying the 
pail tripped and fell. The pail slipped 
from his hand and rolled into the spring. 

They stood there, not knowing what 
to do. None of them dared to go 
home. Their parents waited and waited, 
and they did not come. 


“They have forgotten all about it,” 
said the father. “ More than likely 
they are playing on the way.” 

He was so afraid that the child would 
die, that he said, without thinking, 

“I wish they were changed into 
ravens!” 

The words were hardly out of his 
mouth when he heard a rustling of 
wings. Looking up he saw seven 
ravens flying over the house. The 
parents were much grieved over the 
loss of their sons, but it could not be 
helped. 

The little girl did not die, but grew 
stronger and more beautiful every day. 
She did not know that she had any 
brothers, for her parents were very 
careful not to say anything about them 
when she was near. But one day she 

99 


heard some people talking about her. 
They said, 

“Yes, she is very beautiful, but the 
curse of her brothers is upon her. ” 

This made her very sad. She went 
to her parents and asked them what it 
meant. They told her the story. 

“Then I am the cause of it all!” she 
cried. 

“Yes, my dear child,” said her father, 
“but you are innocent.” 

This did not make her think less of 
it, however. 

“I will never be happy until I have 
found my brothers,” she said to herself. 
But where was she to go? 

At last she made up her mind to 
leave home, and never to come back 
until she could bring her brothers with 
her. She took nothing but a little gold 





























































ring, a piece of bread, a jug of water 
and a stool. 

She traveled on, and on, and on, 
until she came to the end of the world. 
Here she ran up against the sun and 
burned herself. This frightened her so 
that she turned and ran quickly away. 
Before she knew it she found herself 
very near the moon. It was cold and 
dark, and she heard it say, 

“I smell, I smell man’s flesh.” 

This frightened her again and she 
turned and ran to the stars. They were 
all seated upon golden chairs, and were 
very kind to her. The morning star 
was standing. She said to her, 

“ Where are you going, little girl V 1 
“Oh, good star, I am looking for my 
brothers, the seven ravens,” said 
she. 


102 


Then the morning star gave her a 
crooked bone, and said, 

“Your brothers are in the glass 
palace and you cannot get in without 
this bone. Be very careful not to lose 
it.” 

The little girl thanked her and went 
on her way. She had not gone far 
when she came to the glass palace. But 
when she looked for the crooked bone 
it was gone. What was to be done ? 
She stood for a moment thinking. Then 
she put her finger into the lock, and 
after working for some time she got the 
door open. 

A little dwarf met her and asked her 
what she wanted. 

“Oh,” said she, “I am looking for my 
brothers, the seven ravens.” 

“Mv lord ravens are not at home.” 

J 103 



A LITTLE DWARF MET HER AND ASKED HER WHAT SHE WANTED’* 


said the dwarf. “But if you wish to 
wait, come inside.” 

The dwarf led her into a room where 
a tiny table stood. On it were seven 
plates, seven knives, seven forks, and 
seven cups. The dwarf brought in the 
supper for the ravens, and she ate a 
few crumbs from each plate and drank 
a few drops from each cup. 

104 







































































When she came to the last cup she 
dropped the gold ring into it. Before 
she could get it out, she heard the 
rustling of wings and hid herself. The 
ravens came in and sat down to supper. 
When they saw the crumbs, each asked 
the other, 

“Who has been eating from my 
plate ? Who has been drinking from 
my cup ?” But when the seventh raven 
looked into his cup and found the ring, 
he knew it and said, 

“Our sister must be here. Now we 
are saved.” 

Then she came from her hiding 
place, and after she had kissed them 
all they were changed to boys again, 
and all went home together. 


105 


THE GOLDEN BIRD. 


Long, long ago, there was a king who. 
had a beautiful garden near his palace. 
In this garden stood a very wonderful 
tree. It was not at all like other trees. 
The apples which grew upon it were 
pure gold. 

The tree had to be guarded day and 
night lest someone might steal the 
apples before they were ripe. As soon 
as they were ripe they were counted. 
Now it happened that the very next 
day one of them was missing. This 
vexed the king very much. 

“They have not been carefully 
watched,” he said to his eldest son. 

“To-night you must guard the tree. Be 

106 



very careful not to close your eyes. I 
wish to find the thief.” 

So when night came the young man 
went into the garden. He sat down 
beneath the tree. All went well for a 
time, but about midnight he fell asleep. 
In the morning another apple was 
missing. 

The next night the second son had 
to watch. He was quite sure that he 
would not be so weak as his brother. 
But before midnight he grew so sleepy 
that he could no longer hold his eyes 
>pen. In the morning, another apple 
was missing. 

The third son now wished to try it. 
But his father said, 

“I fear you will be even less wake¬ 
ful than your brothers.” 

At last he told him he might try. 

107 


The boy lay down under the tree and 
watched steadily until midnight. Just 
as the clock struck twelve, he heard a 
rustling in the air. Looking up, he 
saw a bird flying by. Its feathers were 
of pure gold. 

The bird lighted upon the tree and 
picked off one of the apples. Just as 
it was ready to fly away, he shot at it. 
The bird was not hurt, but one of its 
golden feathers dropped off. 

The boy took the feather up and 
went back to the palace. The next 
morning he showed it to the king and 
told him what he had seen. The kin g 
at once said that he must have the 
whole bird. So the next morning the 
eldest son started out in search of the 
golden bird. He did not doubt in the 

least that he should find it. When he 

108 


had walked about a mile he saw a fox 
sitting at the edge of a forest. He 
lifted his gun to shoot, but the fox cried 
out, 

“Do not shoot me, and I will give 
you a piece of good advice! You are 
now on the right road to the golden 
bird. This evening you will come to a 
village where there are two inns. One 
of them will be brightly lit up. There 
will be feasting and merriment going 
on inside. Do not stop there. Go to 
the other one, though it will seem a 
poor place to you.” 

The young man thought to himself, 

“How can such a silly beast know 
anything about it ?” 

Then, going nearer, he shot at the 
fox. But he missed, and the fox ran 
away with his tail in the air. The 

109 



young man walked on, and in the 
evening he came to the village where 
stood the two inns. In the one singing 
and dancing were going on. The other 
was dark and gloomy. 

“I should be very foolish,” he said to 
himself “if I were to go into this dirty 
inn while that good one stands so near.” 

So he entered the good inn. There 
he feasted and danced and forgot the 
golden bird, his father and all good 
manners. 

Time passed by and the eldest son 
did not return. So the second son 
started out to find the golden bird. 
When he reached the edge of the for¬ 
est he met the fox. He raised his gun 
to shoot, but the fox cried out, 

“Do not shoot me, and I will give 

you a piece of good advice.” Then he 
110 


told the young man of the two inns. 
The young man laughed and said, 

“ How should a silly beast like you 
know anything about it ?” Then going 
nearer, he shot at the fox. But he 
missed, and the fox ran away with his 
tail in the air. The young man went 
on his way, and soon came to the two 
inns. Here he found all as the fox had 
said. He saw his brother, also, who 
asked him to stop with him. He went 
in and spent his time in feasting and 
dancing. 

Again a long time passed by, and 
neither of the brothers returned home. 
So the youngest son wished to try his 
luck. But his father said, 

“It is useless. You are less likely 
than your brothers to find the golden 

bird. If you get into trouble you can- 

111 


not help yourself, for you are not very 
quick” 

But the lad begged so hard, that the 
king at last said he might go. On the 
edge of the forest he saw the fox who 
cried out, 

“Do not shoot me, and I will give 
you a piece of good advice.” 

The boy had a kind heart, and said, 

“Do not be afraid, little fox, I will 
not harm you.” 

“You shall not be sorry for this,” 
said the fox. “I will help you find the 
golden bird, because you are so kind 
hearted. That you may travel faster, 
just get on my tail.” 

The lad had hardly seated himself 
when away they went, over hedges and 
ditches, uphill and downhill, so fast that 

their hair whistled in the wind. 

112 


As soon as they came to the village 
the youth got off and went into the 
mean looking inn as the fox told him 
to do. He slept well and was up early 
next morning. After breakfast he went 
into the fields and found the fox wait¬ 
ing for him. 

“Now I will tell you what you must 
do next,” said the fox. “Go straight 
ahead and you will come to a castle. 
Before the castle a great many soldiers 
will be sleeping. Bo not be frightened 
at them, but go right through their 
midst into the castle. Go through all 
the rooms until you come into one 
where the golden bird hangs in a 
wooden cage. Near by stands an empty 
golden cage for show, but you must not 
take the bird out of its ugly cage and 
place it in the golden one. If you do, 

113 


you will fare badly. That you may 
travel faster, just get on my tail.” 

•The youth did as the fox told him, 
and away they went over hill and 
valley, so fast that their hair whistled 
in the wind. When they reached the 
castle the king’s son found everything 
as the fox had said. He soon found the 
room where the golden bird sat in its 
wooden cage. There were also three 
golden apples lying near, the very ones 
which the bird had taken from his 
father’s tree. The youth thought it 
would be a pity to take the bird in such 
an ugly cage. So he took it out and 
put it in the splendid one. 

As soon as he did this the bird began 
to sing. The windows were open and 
the soldiers heard it. They came rush¬ 
ing in and made him prisoner. The 

114 


next morning he was brought before 
the king, who said he must die. He 
begged so hard for his life that at last 
the king told him he might go free if 
he brought the golden horse to him. 

“This golden horse,” said the king, 
“can travel faster than the wind. Bring 
him to me and you shall have the 
golden bird as a reward.” 

The young man went out feeling very 
sad, for where was he to find the golden 
horse? All at once he saw his old 
friend the fox, who said, 

“There, you see what has happened 
because you did not do as I told you. 
But you are a good lad, and I will 
show you where to find the golden 
horse. You must go straight ahead 
until you come to a castle. In the 
stable stands this horse. Before the 

115 


door a boy will lie fast asleep, so you 
must lead the horse away quietly. But 
there is one thing you must mind. Put 
on the horse the old saddle of wood and 
leather, and not the golden one which 
hangs close by. If you do it will be 
very unlucky.” 

Again the fox stretched out his tail, 
and again they went as fast as the 
wind. Everything was as the fox had 
said. The youth went into the stall 
where the golden horse stood and was 
about to put on him the old dirty 
saddle. Just then he saw the golden 
one and he thought it would be a pity 
not to put that on him. So he took up 
the golden saddle. It had hardly 
touched the back of the horse when he 
set up a loud neigh. This woke the 
stable boys, and they took the youth 


and put him into prison. The next 
morning he was told that he must die. 
But the king promised to give him his 
life if he would bring the beautiful 
daughter of the king of the golden 
castle. 

With a heavy heart the youth set 
out. Which way was he to go ? Soon 
he met his old friend the fox. 

“I should have left you in your 
trouble,” he said, “ but I felt sorry for 
you. I am willing to help you once 
more. You must go straight ahead 
until you come to the palace. When 
you reach there the princess will be 
taking a walk in the garden. Just out¬ 
side the palace gates there is a tiny 
plant which bears a blossom like a 
white star. Pluck this and carry it to 
the princess. It is a magic flower and 

117 


as soon as she touches it she will be 
willing to come with you. Only take 
care that she does not first say good¬ 
bye to her parents. If she does, all will 
be lost.” 

With these words the fox again 
stretched out his tail. The king’s son 
seated himself, and away they went 
over hill and valley like the wind. When 
they reached the golden palace, the 
young man found everything as the fox 
had said. He plucked the white flower 
and took it into the garden. As soon 
as the princess touched it she said she 
would go with him. But she begged 
him to allow her to say good-bye to her 
parents. At first he told her she must 
not; but when she fell down at his feet 
and wept, he gave his consent. As soon 

as the king heard that the young man 

118 


was there, he had him put into prison. 

The next morning the king said to 
him, 

“ I have said that you must die, but 
there is one way in which you can save 
your life. There is a mountain before 
my window, and I cannot see over it. 
I wish to have it cleared away. If you 
can do this in eight days you shall have 
my daughter.” 

The king’s son at once began digging 
and shoveling away. But he could do 
so little that at the end of seven days 
he gave up all hope. That same evening 
the fox came to him and said, 

“You do not deserve to be helped 
again, but go away and sleep while I 
work for you.” 

When the young man awoke the 
next morning and looked out of the 

119 


window the mountain was gone. Full 
of joy he went to the king and told 
him the work was done. And the king 
had to keep his promise and give up 
his daughter. 

Then away they went together, and 
before long they met the fox. 

“The golden horse belongs to the 
princess of the golden castle,” said he. 
And since you have the one you must 
also have the othpr.” 

“How shall I get it?” asked the 
young man. 

“That I will tell you,” answered the 
fox. 

“ First take the princess to the king 
who sent you to the golden castle. He 
will be so overjoyed that he will readily 
bring out the golden horse. Then you 
must get upon his back and give your 


hand to each for a parting shake. Last 
of all shake hands with the princess, 
but keep tight hold of her hand and 
pull her up behind you. As soon as 
that is done ride away. No one can 
catch you for the horse goes as fast as 
the wind.” 

“But that will be stealing the horse,” 
said the young man, “and I do not wish 
to do that.” 

“No, you will not be stealing him,” 
said the fox, “for he belongs to the 
princess of the golden castle. The 
king gave the princess to you and you 
have a perfect right to take the horse 
also.” 

The young man did as the fox told 
him, and he and the princess rode away 
on the golden horse. Again they met 
the fox, who said, 


121 



“HE AND THE PRINCESS RODE AWAY ON THE GOLDEN HORSE ” 


“Now I will help you to get the 
golden bird. That also belongs to the 
princess. When you come near the 
castle where it is, let the princess get 
down and I will take her into my cave. 
Then you ride into the castle yard. At 
sight of the golden horse there will be 

such joy that they will readily give you 

122 


the bird. As soon as you hold the cage 
in your hand ride back to us.” 

As soon as this was done the fox 
said, 

“Now you must reward me for what 
I have done.” 

“What do you wish?” asked the 
young man. 

“When we come into yonder wood, 
shoot me and cut off my head and feet.” 

“That would be a queer reward,” 
said the prince. “I cannot think of 
doing such a thing.” 

“If you will not do it, I must leave 
you,” said the fox. “But before I go I 
will give you some good advice. On 
your way home do not pay anybody’s 
debts, and do not sit on the brink of a 
spring.” With these words it ran into 
the forest. 


123 


The prince thought, “Ah, that is a 
wonderful animal, but it has some 
strange fancies! Who would ask me 
to pay their debts, and why should I 
wish to sit on the brink of a spring % ” 
He and the princess rode on, and it 
chanced that the way led them through 
the village where his brothers had 
stopped. There he heard that they had 
spent all their money and were now in 
prison because they could not pay their 
debts. Without thinking of what the 
fox had told him he paid the money 
and his two brothers were set free. 

After this they all four set out to¬ 
gether, and soon came to the forest 
where they had first met the fox. As 
it was cool and pleasant beneath the 
trees, the two brothers said, 

“Come, let us rest awhile here by 

124 


this spring, and eat and drink.” 

The youngest forgot what the fox 
told him, and they all sat down by the 
spring. All at once the brothers pushed 
him into it, and taking the princess, the 
horse, and the bird, went home to their 
father. 

“We bring you,” said they, “not only 
the golden bird, but also the golden 
horse and the princess of the golden 
castle.” 

Everybody was filled with joy. But 
the horse would not eat, the bird would 
not sing, and the princess would not 
speak, but cried from morning till night. 

The youngest brother, however, was 
not dead. Luckily the spring was dry, 
and he fell upon some soft moss without 
hurting himself. But he could not get 
out. Soon the fox came up again, and 


scolded him for not doing as it told him. 

“Still I cannot forsake you,” it said. 
“I will again help you out of your 
trouble. Hold fast to my tail and I 
will draw you up to the top.” 

When this was done, the fox said, 
“You are not yet out of danger, for 
your brothers are not sure you are 
dead. They have placed men all round 
the forest to watch. These men have 
been told to kill you if they see you.” 

The young man then changed clothes 
with a poor old man who was sitting 
near, and went to the king’s palace. 
Nobody knew him; but as soon as he 
entered the palace gates the bird began 
to sing, the horse began to eat, and the 
princess stopped crying. The king did 
not understand this, and asked what it 
meant. 


126 


“I do not know,” said the princess; 
“but I who was sad am now gay, for I 
feel as if the young prince has re¬ 
turned.” 

Then she told the king all that had 
happened. The king called before him 
all the people who were in the castle. 
Among them came the poor young man 
dressed as a beggar. But the princess 
knew him. The wicked brothers were 
punished as they deserved, while the 
youngest married the princess and 
afterwards became king. 

But what became of the poor fox ? 
Long after, the prince went once again 
into the wood. There he met the fox, 
who said, 

“You now have everything that you 
wish, but there is no end to my 
troubles, although you can help me if 

127 


you will.” And once more it begged 
the prince to cut off its head and feet, 
At last he did so, and immediately the 
fox became a man. He was the brother 
of the princess, and had been changed 
into a fox. From that day the prince 
and princess were as happy as they de¬ 
served to be. 


128 


















77* K 









































































































































































